If you want to avoid hitting a deer this season you might want to get behind the wheel in another state.

According to a recent study by State Farm Insurance, the risk of a Pennsylvania driver hitting a deer is up 7.8 percent from last year.

State Farm predicts that 1-in-71 drivers will become involved in a deer-related crash in the 2014 season, putting the commonwealth second in the nation behind West Virginia where the odds are 1-in-39.

If you find yourself on the unlucky end of this data, the first call to make following a crash is to your insurance agency.

Tara Snody from Erie Insurance in Wormleysburg says that rates are only likely to go up if a driver is involved in “frequent” incidents, otherwise any crash involving a deer is likely covered under most comprehensive plans.

Snody adds that in preparation to file a claim, one should take photos and should not wash their car because an agent will need proof that the accident involved an animal.

And not just any animal. As it turns out, the kind of deer can make a difference to your pocket.

“Deer meaning it’s a live deer. It’s different if it’s a dead deer. If a deer has already been struck and they run over it, it is considered a collision claim,” Snody said, adding that the latter of the two can be far more costly.

Snody said it is safer to hit the deer than to try and swerve. A last-minute move could not only end up seriously injuring the driver and others, but if the deer is missed and a tree is hit, then the claim would have to be filed as a collision, again making the accident far more expensive.